One of the reasons I like Ellen and her show is because she's intelligent, funny, down to earth and genuine. She doesn't pretend to be something she's not which was probably a big motivator for her to come out many years ago as a lesbian. She knew this decision to "come out" was not going to boost ratings of her then, t.v. sitcom or win her any popularity contests. It took guts and courage to say she was gay in a society that seems to be uncomfortable with anything that isn't understood by the majority.
Ellen's interview with Chaz was very touching and educational. She asked him if he knew, how being picked to be in "Dancing with the Stars" would cause such uproar and controversy. She did a great job of using her gift as a comedian, to bring out how ridiculous it is that people are trying to get him off the show. I guess some viewers are saying that having Chaz on "Dancing with the stars" will be dangerous and bad for our children.
If you havn't been brought up to speed, Chaz, who use to be known as Chastity, struggled for years with his sexuality. He said he never felt or identified himself as a woman. As the years passed, it became harder to ignore it. He underwent gender reassignment surgery last year to become a man. Just like Ellen, it took great courage for Chaz to come out as the transgender person he is.
One of the most poignant moments of the interview was when Ellen talked about the problem of bullying in school. She said that as adults and role models, how do we expect our kids to quit bullying when we're doing it ourselves. "Shame on us," Ellen said, "Shame on us."
